The Kat in the Cradle Job
by BikerVixen
Summary: Eliot's past comes back to haunt him.
1. Chapter 1

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter One**

The water splashed down in a torrent, Eliot let it wash over his head and body. He turned his face up to the spray to get the full effect of the water. He scrunched his eyes against it and tried to relax. His whole body ached, the team's last con had been a difficult one and he taken a number of blows from a six foot six inch Swede made like a brick wall. He would not go down, no matter what Elliot did. In the end Eliot had had to disarm him and shot him in he leg with is own gun. Eliot concentrated on his breathing, he hated guns but sometimes you just had to use them. At least it was over now, the client was satisfied and they had got one up on the bad guys again.

He sighed heavily. He really needed a holiday, somewhere away from everything and everyone. He wanted to be somewhere where he could lie on a beach, drink some beer and go surfing if he wanted to.

Eliot suddenly stopped, it was like everything in his body went on red alert. All his nerve endings were standing to attention. Eliot had learned long ago to listen to his intuition, it always seemed to pick out danger before his brain had any time to catch up. He lowed the water pressure in the shower so he could hear more clearly and stood there, waiting and listening. There it was a again, a gentle squeak, someone had stepped into his living room. He knew his house inside and out, every floor board, every door jam, he knew every sound the house was capable of. He turned the water pressure back on the shower and slowly he opened the shower door carefully so as not to alert his intruder.

His eyes flashed around his bathroom. _Damn it_, he thought, there was nothing there. _Note to self, must arm bathroom_, he smiled at his joke. He scanned the bathroom one more time then his eyes fell on his father's old fashioned barbers' razor blade. Eliot smiled to himself, that would do in a pinch. He opened out the razor so the sharp edge was exposed and he palmed it ready to slice and dice whoever was stupid enough to come onto his territory.

Very quietly the intruder moved through the house, she was quick on her feet, and was sure she had got through without alerting Eliot. She had watched him come home forty minutes ago, looking bloodied and in foul temper. Eliot never changed, she had mused to herself.

She had wanted to approach him immediately, she held back but she knew that would be a bad idea, she had to wait until he was inside and then make her way around to the back of the house. Even though the house was on it's own land, she did not want to risk them being seen together if at all possible and she did not want to alert anyone to anyone to her presence.

She knew she was dicing with death, it was a risky maneouvre coming into Eliot's house uninvited but she did not care. She needed his help and he had to help her because she would give him no choice. She was able to pick the lock on the back door easily, she remembered everything that Eliot had thought her when they were together. She moved out of the sitting room and moved towards the closed door. Eliot's bedroom, they had spent a lot of time together there, lots of happy memories. She could faintly hear the shower running. A thought of Eliot standing naked under a stream of hot water caught her off guard and she had to stop herself. She took a deep breath, _I did not come here for that_, she reminded herself. She gently grabbed the door knob and twisted it as she gently pushed it open.

Eliot stood at the side of the door and waited until the intruder was half way in, he acted instinctively and grabbed them from behind. He locked his arm across their chest and held the razor to their throat while clamping his hand over their mouth.

At once everything stopped, his hand felt the soft skin of the intruder and the strands of long hair brush against his hand and arm as the intruder struggled, trying to speak against his palm. It was the perfume that caught him off guard, the perfume, he inhaled it deeply, it could not be, Jean Paul Gautier? Her perfume, Kat's perfume. It was impossible.

In disbelief Eliot felt everything move in slow motion, it could not be, his mind would not accept it. He spun the intruder around, and his heart stopped. It was. His brain had ceased to function and he dropped his hands to his sides.

"Katharina", he uttered her name in a soft whisper, part of him desperately happy she was here, the other part filled with a consuming rage.

Eliot grabbed her roughly, his fingers bit into her arms "I thought you were dead, six years and you let me think that you were dead", he shook her hard, his body trembled and he fought the urge to shake her again.

"Eliot, I can explain", Kat cried, she could feel the anger pulsing from his body.

He gently pushed her away. It was too much for him, he realised that he was still naked and started to walk away from her.

He stopped and turned back towards her without looking at her "Wait in the sitting room, I will be out in a few minutes, I need time to get my head straight".

Kat nodded, her heart was thundering in her chest. She knew it was better this way, to give him a couple of minutes to collect his thoughts. She had always known that when the time came that he would take it hard. Kat knew he was feeling betrayed and hurt. She was not surprised but she could feel the marks on her arms where he had grabbed her. She moved back into the sitting room and sat on one of the well worn leather recliners. Her heart still hammering in her chest.

She knew she had to explain everything to him and she would but first she needed his help and he would have to help here whether he wanted to or not, she would give him no choice.

Eliot felt the blood rush to his face, he felt every bit of anger pulse in his body, he felt angry, no he corrected himself he felt betrayed. He threw a glance towards the sitting room and tried to swallow the feeling of hatred and resentment. That woman was alive, she had lead him to believe she was dead. He had spent the last six years mourning her and trying to repay his debt to her by helping others and all along she had been alive. She had made a fool of him.

Eliot sat down heavily on his bed, he felt something break inside him. For six years, he had not let anyone get close to him. It had lots of affairs and flings, but he had not loved anyone since Katharina. His relationship with his highschool sweetheart Amy had been a silly school crushed compared to what they had. She had been the one for him, when she died, he stopped himself, when he thought she had died, his heart had been smashed to pieces and everything he had been working towards disappeared.

Life was very cruel, he mused, he laughed bitterly, life was a joke.


	2. Chapter 2

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Two**

_Ten Years Earlier_

Her father Miguel Balteras was the President of Costa Fuerez, a tiny country off the coast of central America. Her life revolved around the grounds of the Presidential Palace, which she rarely left. Katharina Sosa had lived a charmed life surrounded by wealth and opulence. Kitty Kat as her father called her, never wanted for anything. She grew up playing with the other children of the Presidential Staff who lived on the grounds. It was idyllic and isolated from the rest of the world.

Katharina idolised her father, Papa. She adored him, she would guiltily admit to herself that she loved her father more than her downtrodden bitter mother. Miguel was charming and intelligent and always encouraged her education with reading and learning more about the world.

Little did Katharina know that she was living in a gilded cage. Her country was on the brink of starvation and the people were brutalised and marginalised under her father's authority. President Miguel Balteras ruled their country with an iron fist and was vicious in his execution of his job. He was called The Executioner by his own people.

Kat was not aware of any of this growing up but that changed when she went to college in America. She remembered the day she was walking through the University and came upon protestors. It was the placards that had caught her attention first "Free Political Prisoners of Costa Fuerez". The Protestors were going to march through the city and end their demonstration outside one of the Senator's Offices. With trepidation she walked over to the protestors, several leaflets were pushed into her hands. She felt sick, she was about to defend her father, tell them he was a loving leader, who did the best for his country but something held her back.

It was like something had finally slotted into place. Her intuition told her to move away from this crowd in case someone recognised her. She knew it was impossible she had never been allowed leave the grounds at home, if she did leave she would wear a scarf over her head with a team of security surrounding her. Her father never permitted photographs to be taken of her. He had told her he was fearful of kidnappers, evil people sometimes targeted a leaders children, so he had to keep her safe.

Her father wanted to keep her out of the public eye sowhen she was eighteen she was sent to the US where she knew nobody. She was happy to be fee and elected to study a Bachelorof Arts in Art History. It was a passion she had shared with her father and she had always wanted to work in a museum and had picked this degree as a way forward.

Kat had just completed her third semester when she decided to change her subject major. After reading the leaflets, she had felt sickened, she had googled everything on her father and felt appalled that she was not only associated but related to this sick and brutal man. She felt ashamed that she had lived with this man and not known what he was capable of . She composed herself, she would do something about this, but first she had to use her brains to get her through the next couple of years. She changed her major to law and began studying it with gusto, when her father queried her change of heart, she had explained in the lightest tones that she wanted to make a career for herself in America, and corporate lawyers made a lot of money. At the time Miguel was surprised that she had dropped her passion so abruptly but felt relief flood him when he realised his baby girl wanted to stay in America. At least there she would be safe, she would not have to hide.

At the time of her birth, her mother had insisted that Katharina take her grandfather's surname rather than his, he had fought against it. His wife was bitter but pragmatic, she wanted to keep their daughter safe and for the first and last time in their marriage he conceded to her wishes.

At college, Kat had kept to herself, as she was naturally shy. She had a couple of close friends but shied away from larger groups. She was extremely pretty but tended to hide behind her glasses and long hair. She had preferred to merge into the background and that need to be behind the scenes rather than crave attention would serve her well now. She quietly joined an activist group in the University, when anyone asked her where she was from, she would tell them she was from a small town in Mexico, she said it with such quiet determination that nobody ever questioned it or tried to check it up.

In the activist meetings she began to come across information about what happened to the prisoners in her country. Her father had always referred to them as common criminals but now it looked as if these people were not prisoners at all, but ordinary people who had had the force of will to stand up against her father. She winced when she saw the pictures of bloodied prisoners beaten and tortured into submission. There were pictures of women and children also brutally beaten and tortured, in numerous cases the women had been gang raped as a form of torture. How could her father have condoned something like this, the same man who had bounced her on his knee when she was a little girl and brought her fishing and horseriding, who had held her hand so gently when they went for walks in their beautiful manicured gardens at home. Katharina felt her world turn upside down, she just did not understand who this man was. She could not determine who or what he really was

While Kat was trying to process this information her mother came to visit. Isabella Sosa had been a beautiful woman but the years of living with her husband had caused her to age prematurely. There was lines around her mouth and her eyes had dark circles, her lips always seemed to be parched. Isabella travelled with two security man, she was quiet and unassuming, she always stayed in the best hotels. Sheused her maiden name, too ashamed to use her married name. People assumed she was a wealthy widow not the wife of a mass murderer.

Isabella was aware of the protests at the university and did not want to draw attention to her daughter, Kat's safety was paramount to her. In the five star hotel, with it's beautiful views and classic elegance, Katharina felt suffocated, she did not want to be anywhere near this woman, but she had to know, she had to find out the truth about her father and what he had done.

Kat could barely look at her mother, she felt disgust, her mother sat there elegantly dressed like she had not a care in the world. She must have known all along and everyone had kept this from her. Everyone had lied to her, how could her mother have deceived her like that, how could her mother have married her father and conceived a child with him knowing what he was like.

Kat eventually looked at the woman in front of her, "Mama, how could you not tell me?".

Isabella looked into her daughter's eyes, for once Katharina saw the pain behind the bitterness in them "What did you want me to tell you?".

"About my father and what he is doing and has done to our people", Katharina felt her voice rise and the tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

Isabella smiled wanly, she had no more fight left in her, "I did not want to worry you, that is why I pushed you to come to America".

"How could you have married such a man".

"Katharina, I had no choice, he threatened to kill my father if I did not agree to be his wife", it was finally out, Isabella had expected to feel some relief but none came, that heavy weight over her shoulders still felt like she was drowning.

Kat laughed hysterically "Grandpapa has been dead for thirteen years, you could have left him".

Isabella barely reacted, her voice was quiet "but you were still here, my daughter, the only thing in the world that I loved more than my own father".

Katharina felt like she was struck, she felt ill, it cannot be true, it just could not be "are you saying that father threatened to kill me if you left?".

Isabella nodded and she started to sob uncontrollably.


	3. Chapter 3

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Three**

_Seven Years Ago_

Eliot was never short of work, since he had become a fulltime retrieval specialist he was busier than ever. He had walked away from the army after he had been forced to take part in acts that did not sit well with his conscience. Sometimes you had to let other countries sort out their own problems themselves without interference.

He believed if he was going to work as a soldier he was going to make sure that he was well paid for it and would only pick the jobs that he wanted. No more sitting there and witnessing civilians being blown up, no more feeling powerless as drugged up teenager soldiers pulled guns on him. No siree, if he was going into a foreign territory in the middle of a war, he was going to defend himself and whoever he was well paid to defend. No more watching friends get blown up and going home crippled to be spat on and jeered.

Why would anyone ever join the army, he thought, he had been made to do it at the time, foolish young and headstrong. He had wanted to get away from home. He could no longer bear to watch his mother being verbally and physically abused by his father. She did not have to take the abuse, logically Eliot knew that and he had never understood why she stayed with him. If she was willing to accept that behaviour from him, that was fine, Eliot would not accept it anymore.

He had to get out of there, but there was little for a guy just got out of high school, Eliot was smart but there was no money to send him to college, his father had gambled every cent they had and they were up to their eyes in hock. Anyway even if there had been, his school record would have been enough to bar him from every decent college in the country. In light of this Eliot went straight into the army when he turned eighteen and never looked back. He had worked hard and had worked his way up to Sergeant but after six years he had enough and was honourable discharge. It was on his way home from Afghanistan, that Eliot had found where his talents lay. He had become accidently embroiled in the kidnap of a Noman Chief's son and ended up negotiating with the kidnappers to get the Heir apparent back in one piece to the Chief. It had gone very successfully and the foundations of the legends surrounding Eliot were set. Eliot found he liked the excitement of being a retrieval specialist. He knew what he did was outside the law, but he had long since given up on the concept of law and order. He had seen enough lawlessness from his own commanders in the army to make him turn into a criminal forever. However six years of regimen served him well, he was disciplined and able to fend for himself anywhere, he was lucky his internal compass always got him to safety. He just wanted to do his work and have the freedom to live the life he choose. He vowed never to let his feelings ever get in the way of him doing his job.

Eliot was twenty eight when he was contacted by an underground activist group in, they were looking for soldiers of fortune who were willing to train their guerrilla army for a coup that they hoped to stage in Costa Fuerez. At first Eliot turned down the job, he had never even heard of the country. He did not want to help terrorists but the group would not give upthey pursued him relentlessly. One day they sent oneof their leaders to meet with him and encourage him to join their activities. He had agreed to meet this woman in a coffee shop in Memphis, how they had tracked him down to Memphis he would never know, but he liked to stay there when he could. He loved the feel of the town, the music the nightlife and the women, you never had a bad night Memphis he smiled to himself. He walked into the Elvis Barista Coffee shop, expecting to meet a woman well into her fifties wearing an Armani suit and iron grey hair. To this day he still did not know why he had that image in his head when he entered but there was no one like that in the coffee shop. He looked around and there was nobody there except for a young woman, no more than a girl really, she looked barely out of her teens, early twenties at best, with her dark hair tied back in a pony tail, she was dressed in jeans and white vest top, she had one of those Harry Potter Books that Eliot had always wanted to read but never got around to it on the table beside her coffee cup.

She looked at him and smiled, his heart stopped. She was breathtaking, he smiled back, his blue eyes twinkling and brushed his hair back from his face with his hands. Then realisation dawned, he could not stay to flirt with this girl, if the client was not here, he would have to leave, there was no sense endangering innocent folk.

He reluctantly turned towards the door.

Kat had known who he was the minute had passed the window of the coffee shop. He was very handsome, she conceded to herself. Generally she did not notice things like that she was too consumed with her cause. Kat had been given his file and had memorised every detail including his photographs, she could see the scar he had on top of his lip, in the file it had said he had gotten that trying to retrieve a religious statue from a Kurdish tribe in the mountains of Turkey. She watched as he turned away from her to head out the door.

_Imbécil_!, she thought angrily.

"Mr. Spencer", the girl called, her voice had an accent but there was no mistaking she had been living here for a while, the edge from her voice Eliot thought it might be Michigan or Boston, but he was not sure.

Eliot cursed himself. He had been unprofessional, he should not have dismissed the girl so quickly, without turning around he knew it was her who had spoken, because there was nobody else in the damn place.

Eliot fixed a serious expression on his face and turned to face her, his eyes met hers, the twinkle that been there was now replaced with a steely glint. He nodded sharply at her and said with the best southern manners he could muster "I do apologise Ma'am, I wrongly assumed that the person I was meant to meet would be …..", Eliot searched for the right word but he could not find it.

Kat arched an eyebrow and smiled at him knowingly "Older?".

Eliot felt a lump in his throat, for some reason he felt nervous. _What the hell was going on, _he wondered. "Yes that's correct, I apologise but I was under the impression that the person I was meeting was heading this operation".

Kat gestured for Eliot to sit down at her table, her look never wavered from his, "That is understandable, I may appear young Mr. Spencer but I have invaluable experience that will greatly assist what we are planning".


	4. Chapter 4

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Four**

Six months later, Eliot was drilling military teams on the borders of Mexico. The only way he could do the job was to treat as if he was back in the army and he was back drilling his squad.

If the thought of terrorism entered his head, he just remembered back to that day in the coffee shop with Katharina, or Kat as he had now come to call her. She had shown pictures of her people that were tortured, He was used to seeing the atrocities of ware but it was the pictures of the women and children who had also been tortured, that is what hit him hard. Seeing one of the kids lying there covered in blood and it had been obvious from the photo that the child had both his arms broken.

He had remembered the sick feeling in his stomach and it caused him to drill his team harder, he wanted them to able to go out and fight as hard as they possibly could. They had to try their hardest to bring down the Costa Fuerez government. No more children being beaten and the unspeakable things they had done to the women. Eliot kept seeing the face of his mother every time he looked at those pictures, it made him feel sick.

You never become accustomed to war, he thought to himself. It does not matter how hard you think you are, or how many people you have seen die, the horror never really leaves you.

In the evenings, he joined the other activists and went over the plans that they had set in motion. Everything about the plan was academic, and when Eliot and others pointed out what was wrong with the working of it, the group would go through the whole plan again and rectify it so it was more workable on the ground.

There was tension in the air but it was an optimistic tension, and the everyone there wanted to fight for their country. He trained them hard but they were willing to learn and did he everything he ordered. It was not like the real army he reflected where you regularly had to deal with insubordination.

He had started to feel better about himself, less ashamed, he knew that what Kat and her group were doing was for the good of their country and he was happy to help them. There were a number of woman training on his team, and they seemed to find him attractive and regularly flirted with him but for once in his life he did not react. He smiled politely and always managed to avoid any compromising situations.

_I must be growing up_, he reflected. When he was younger there was nothing more entertaining than being in a compromising position with a woman, with any woman for that matter. Things had definitely changed, now he was more than happy to sit with the group, just to be near Kat. He loved her intensity, her belief in what was right, her dark green eyes that would flash with anger when she realised part of their plan would have to be redone.

The perfume she wore left him feeling intoxicated, one day he had brazenly asked her what it was.

"Classique", she answered quietly, he eyes searching his face.

"Classique, just classique?", he smiled, his voice low and soft.

A small smile brightened up her face "from Jean Paul Gaultier", was all she said, her eyes did not leave his, until one of the group interrupted them.

Eliot had felt his heart beat like a drum, he looked murderously at the interloper but it was too late, the moment was gone, he would make sure they came back to it again.

For months they had done that dance, Eliot's breath would catch in his throat, whenever she walked into a room. He was sure that everyone knew, he always seemed to become less argumentative when Katharina walked in.

Then it happened one night, they were discussing tactical manoeuvres, and Katharina joined them later on. He held his breath as she made her way over towards him, through ingenuity rather than luck, the only chair left was beside Eliot. She sat down beside him and he quietly inhaled the smell of her perfume. Katharina wore her hair down that night and Eliot itched to run a hand through it. He smiled to himself, he wondered how she would react if he was to do that right at this moment as they sat there in front of anybody.

Kat could feel the tension between herself and Eliot, she had always tried to be professional, but she caught herself gazing at him when he was drilling his team, his hair tied back, his strong shoulders and broad back, the t-shirt covered in sweat. She could feel her stomach clench when she looked at him, she wondered what it would feel like to kiss the scar on top of his lip and what his mouth would feel like, would he kiss her tenderly, would she able to taste the spearmint toothpaste he used.

Silly, girlish thoughts, but she could not help herself. She knew she was acting like a silly teenage girl and she tried her best to stop it. She had had a a few boyfriends in college which had fizzled out becauseshe had never really had any interest in having a relationship with anyone. Until Eliot. She had just not met the right man and now she had, she knew that it was not the right time to do anything about it. There was something more important to accomplish. She was conflicted and knew that she could choose, she would choose to be with him. There was no doubt in her mind that Eliot felt the same, he never said anything but he let her know in his own way that he wanted her. She liked the fact that he never reacted to all the female attention he got, she had known since they had first met that he would be hers if she gave him a sign, but they had so much to accomplish that she kept putting off the inevitable and she was now to wonder if she had made the right choice.

Kat gasped as she felt Eliot trace his tongue down the long line of her neck. She was still in shock. Eliot had come to her quarters after the meeting and within twenty minutes of being alone in each other's company and the tension had becomen unbearable, before she knew what was happening. Elito's hand had gently cupper her face and then he was kissing her passionately.

Everything after that was a blur, an hour later she was naked while he slowly brought her to climax, he touched and teased every part of her body and she had cried out in pleasure and surprise when he had gently bit her nipple, and then slid his hard erection into her. She had never experienced anything like it before. She arched her back to draw him in further, he whispered in her ear and told her everything he had thought about her, how he had wanted her for so long, how he could barely stand to be so close to her, each time gently thrusting a little deeper inside her. She felt like a china doll in his hands, so fragile but at that moment she felt safe and strong and that anything was possible.

"Eliot, I...", the words were on the tip of her tongue, but suddenly she felt the sensation of waves flooding through her abdomin and her breath caught her in throat and closed her eyes lost in the pleasure of of their union.

Eliot felt the tiny beat of her orgasm against his skin and he let himself go, he could feel every part of his body was on fire, the feeling was exquisite, a growl escaped from his throat. He had thought about how this would be between them many many times but nothing could have prepared him for this, he had never felt anything like it before.

He knew then as he looked into Kat's green heavy lidded eyes that this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life.


	5. Chapter 5

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Five**

Eliot sat with the team in Nate's apartment, he had felt he had no choice but to tell the team what was going on. He would need their help, this was an assignment that needed all of their skill.

They all sat dotted on the sofas and chairs in the living room. Eliot had turned off the giant screen. He needed the team to listen before they went about their usual routine of research and undercover surveillance. He had tried to start several times but the words would just not come out. He had never told anyone this story before, it had been too painful. He struggled against telling the story and the team watched him silently. They had never seen their Hitter in such emotional turmoil.

Sophie scooched up beside him and put her hand on his foreman, "Eliot, it's okay, just tell us in your own time".

Eliot turned to her, his blue eyes blazing "I just, it's too damn hard", he let out an angry sigh.

Parker scooched up on the other side of him and patted his head like he was a puppy "Poor Eliot", she spoke in a little girl's voice.

Eliot looked at her as if she was mad, he gently pushed her away so he would not hurt her, through clenched teeth "What the hell is wrong with you?".

Parker looked at Hardison and Nate because she could not understand what she had done wrong. Hardison just smiled at her, and pulled towards his seat.

"You sit here, I will sit beside Eliot", he said kindly, he could see Eliot's mouth drawn in a thin line.

Nate sat in the opposite chair and watched Eliot, he stroked his chin while he thought, there had been rumours a couple of years ago that Eliot had been involved in a political coup in South America and Nate's gut instinct told him that this was what Eliot was struggling to tell them.

Nate did not want to beat around the bush any longer, they were wasting time "is this to do with Costa Fuerez?".

Eliot looked at him sharply, how the hell did Nate know, that guy knew everything, he nodded sharply "how did you know about that".

Sophie and Hardison just looked at each other, they did not even know where Costa Fuerez was. Parker studied her boots.

"There were rumours at the time and even dictator's have insurance", Nate smiled, his eyes remaining dark, it was not a joke.

Sophie looked from Nate to Eliot "Hold on a minute, a Dictator? Eliot you were involved with a Dictator".

Before Eliot could answer Nate jumped in "No he was involved with trying to take down a dictator".

Eliot's body stiffened, he was getting ready for the lecture, but all he felt was Sophie squeeze his arm "Trying ? you mean, you could not take down the dictator".

"No he was ready for us, he knew we what we were doing, every step of the way", Eliot felt sick.

"The dictator Miguel Baltares, rules the very small country of Costa Fuerez off the cost of Central America. His daughter died in the coup, they say she was murdered by the guerrillas", Nate explained, noting the look that crossed Eliot's face, "Does this have something to do with daughter", he tried to sound kinder, he knew this was one of the times he needed to have a gentle approach with his Hitter.

"She's not dead", saying it out loud took nearly all of Eliot's strength, and he felt himself sink further into the couch

Hardison immediately picked up on Eliot's emotions, he was not angry, he was devastated. For once Hardison did not feel pissed off with Eliot's and his macho ways, he could not get in touch with how upset he was. "You and she were a couple weren't you, Eliot?".

Eliot looked at Hardison and slightly smiled "Yeah man, she was the head of the rebellion".

"So she was killed by one of her own or what? They tried to kill her?", Sophie was still confused.

"She was shot down in front of me by her father's bodyguards, the same guards who had looked after her since she was a baby. When she was hit, she was too far away, I went back to get her, but my men pulled me back. I can still see her there, the blood flowing from her body, the screaming, my screams, realising I could not help her", there was a catch in Eliot's voice.

Sophie hugged him, but he did not respond, he just sat there, feeling like his heart would implode.

Nate sat forward in his chair "where is she now?".

"At my house, she is safe for now", Eliot whispered.

Parker finally rejoined the conversation "So what's she been doing all these years".

Everyone looked at her angrily "What?, you were all thinking it?", she said defensively and went back to studying her boots.

Nate agreed "Parker's right, where has she been all this time".

"She says her father was keeping her prisoner, she escaped three weeks ago and made her way her to me", Eliot felt his face could red, he was embarrassed by the depth of feeling he still had for Kat.

Hardison started typing into his laptop, "we need to get her moved, she needs to go somewhere safe, somewhere like France or Norway, should be a good place to start".

Sophie could feel the tension from Eliot, his energy was rigid "No Hardison, I don't think that's what Eliot wants, is it Eliot?".

Eliot shook his head "she says she needs to go back, there is a information back at the house, if we can get it we can prove her father is guilty of genocide".

Hardison put down his laptop, "Hold on, our cons don't usually include taking down a dictator, Eliot. Nate, tell him", Hardison threw his eyes up to heaven when he saw Nate's face.

Nate smiled beatifically, he always loved a challenge.


	6. Chapter 6

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Six**

Later that evening Eliot had returned home, Sophie had brought Parker shopping in an effort to girly up her wardrobe and to get her out of everyone's hair for awhile. Nate and Hardison were left alone. Hardison had pulled up documents from every intelligence agency NSA, CIA, MI6, Interpol, Mossad and Russian Intelligence. Miguel Balteras was a vicious man with secret alliances all over the world.

"Nate, I can't believe this guy, how come he is getting away all of this ", Hardison was speed reading every document that he had copied, it did not make for happy reading.

"This guy has helped the government with information regarding other dictators, dictators that were a real threat to this country, in gratitude for this information our government looks the other way when Amnesty International start screaming about Balteras and genocide and political prisoners", Nate tried to explain it in the most pragmatic way he could.

Hardison flicked on the big screen, the files and pictures were there for Nate to see. Nate slightly turned his head away, he was way too sober to look at pictures of bloodied and battered bodies.

"I don't think we can do this", Hardison was concerned, this was the biggest operation they had ever come across.

"Hardison, have faith, we will figure it out. We always do".

Hardison was still not convinced, He did not doubt what Eliot had told them but he felt there was something missing from the story. Why would this girl want to go back to a country that had held her prisoner even if it was for her mother. Hardison' gut instinct kept niggling at him, he was willing to do anything for Eliot except put the rest of the team in danger especially when they were not being told the whole story.

"I don't believe the story Eliot told us ", there it was, finally out, Hardison felt some relief saying it out loud.

Nate turned away from the documents he was reading, he threw them down on the coffee table and stood up, he needed to stretch his legs and think. He walked towards the kitchen, he needed to occupy himself while he thought of a good enough answer for Hardison. He pulled the half empty bottle of scotch from the kitchen press near the sink and grabbed a glass from over the sink. He poured himself a stiff drink.

"You think Eliot is lying?", Nate asked suddenly, keeping his eyes on the amber liquid as it flowed into the glass.

Hardison eyes widened in surprise. He had never thought it was Eliot that was lying no even for a second "No, no Nate no, I don't but I don't think this Katharina has told him the full story".

Nate took a slug from his glass, he had been thinking the same thing "I agree but we have to go on what Eliot has told us and the rest we will learn on a need to know basis".

Hardison got off the couch and walked towards Nate, he needed to see Nate's reaction "Could she be laying a trap for Eliot?".

Nate inclined his head to the side as if thinking about the questions, _how could he answer this and keep Hardison on side. _He smiled at Hardison and walked back to his chair.

Hardison followed him, he was not giving up that easy "Com'on Nate, you can't hold out on me".

Nate turned to face Hardison, he was right and Nate knew it "I don't think so, I believe whatever is back there is very important to her and the only person she can trust to get it for her is Eliot".


	7. Chapter 7

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Seven**

Katharina sat in McRory's, a baseball cap pulled down over her face, she was wearing one of Eliot's check shirts and his denim jacket, Eliot had made her wear them, the more she blended in with her surroundings the safer she would be.

She tried not to be intimidated by the six faces watching her, she had spent the last six years with no contact with the outside world with the exception of her father's bodyguards that she felt ill at ease in busy places, she anxiously looked around the bar.

She had hoped coming to Eliot would have made things better, but things were bad, he could barely look at her, she knew he did not believe her about being imprisoned. He would not talk about their relationship, he would not talk to her about anything personal, she knew he was trying to treat like a client but her heart ached, she so wanted to put her arms around him, feel his strong arms around her waist, hear him whisper in her ear, all the things that were so natural for them six years ago. All there was now was an empty awkwardness, and Eliot trying but failing to be polite, his answers were clipped and dripped with resentment.

She looked at Hardison, who was sitting opposite her, he had a very kind face for someone so young, she thought, she smiled nervously at him, he smiled back at her, his whole smile lighting up his face. "It's okay Katharina, you are safe now, we are going to help you", he whispered.

Kat wanted to grab his hand and pull it to her cheek, but she did not. She felt completely alone here with these people who had promised to help her. She tried to take in each member of the team, the older guy seemed to be the Leader and he really liked his scotch, the brunette, Sophie was sweet, but the way she latched on to the older guy, Kat assumed they were married, the blonde, she just could not figure out, she smiled and then would grimace in a matter of seconds and Kat did not think she would have the patience to deal with her.

Six years trapped in a room, with only her thoughts and plans for company. Kat felt overwhelmed. _Damn Eliot_, all he had to do was understand and he could not even do that.

He had had six years of freedom and by the looks of him, he had been sleeping with every woman who had looked twice at him. She was surprised and hurt that she had meant so little to him. There was nothing left for her, she just needed to get back home, get her stuff and then go somewhere where she would never have to deal with anyone ever again.

"I don't believe you", Nate said abruptly.

Kat eyed him, yep he definitely was the leader, he said jump, the rest asked how high, "Do you not?", Kat tried to give the impression she was not intimidated but it failed miserably, she glanced at Eliot for support, but his mouth was pursed and he was looking directly at Nate.

So that's how it's going to be, she thought to herself, she would not have come back to Eliot if she had not needed his help, this concerned him it did not matter that he was not aware of it.

She would say nothing else, let them think what they liked, she just wanted to be free.

Sophie tried to break the icy silence "Nate, you don't even know Katharina, you can't jump to conclusions like that", Sophie looked at Katharina and slightly winked.

Katheld her breath, it was with relief she realised that Sophie was not an bumbling idiot, she knew how to wind Nate around her finger. That's what Kat needed, someone on her side. In her head, Kat silently thanked Sophie.

"What are you not telling us", Nate was not going to let it rest. Kat sighed, she knew her story were never have stood up to any scrutiny.

"My son is back in that godforsaken country", there it was out in the open, the child, her boy, she had only caught glimpses of over the last six years.

She watched with smug satisfaction when she saw the realisation dawn on all faces. She did not look at Eliot, she could feel the intense heat of his anger from across the table.

"You have a son?", he asked, his voice full of menace, and she felt the others move slightly away from her, anticipating an Eliot Spencer tantrum.

Anger and unfairness hit her like a bolt of lightning, she turned and faced Eliot, her eyes blazed with fire "That's right, your son", she spat the words out.

She immediately regretted it when she saw the look on Eliot's face, he looked broken.

Eliot got up slowly from the table and walked towards the exit, he had to get out there, at that moment he was a danger to Kat, the team and everyone else in the bar as well.

Kat watched his retreating back and felt the tears come, she had been holding it together for too long, and the one person she thought she could trust with her heart had completely betrayed her. She felt as if a huge lump was caught in her throat, the tears spilled down her face, she did not care that people could see, she was devastated everything she had cared about was ripped from her and here she was sitting with a drunk, a bumbling brunette cockney sparrow, a blonde lunatic and a kindly geek. That made her sob harder.

A glass appeared in front of her, Nate poured some whiskey into it "get that down you, it will help you feel better". Kate eyed him speculatively, it did not seem to be doing him any good she reflected.

Nate saw the thoughts flicker across her face "medicinal purposes it will do wonders, I drink recreationally", he said in his best fatherly voice.

At that moment she could have hugged him, but she took the proffered drink and felt the liquid burn as it hit the back of her throat.


	8. Chapter 8

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Eight**

Sophie found Eliot in the park across from the office. He sat staring at a duck pond unaware of everything going on around him. Sophie watched him, she saw the hard set of his jaw and that blank dangerous look in this eyes. She was sitting beside him before he realised she was there.

Feeling a presence beside him, Eliot came out of himself he had forced himself in to a meditation in an attempt to calm down. His head cleared and became more focused and he looked at Sophie.

Sophie looked at him, a gentle expression on her face. She sat back on the bench, she did not say anything at first, she cared about Eliot and cared about what happened to him and she wanted him to know that She was not going to preach at him but he needed to hear the truth. Sophie always enjoyed being near him. Eliot could be still for hours and it was the calmness, that assured way he carried himself that she liked, she admired his discipline and the way he could contain himself so easily. One day she promised herself she would ask him to teach her how to do that, but not today, there were other things that were much more important.

They sat in companiable silence, watching the ducks zig zag across the bond, greedily gobbling up flying bits of bread being thrown to them by their generous audience. It was such a peaceful little park Sophie wondered why she did not come here more, but she knew why. Just like the rest of the team the majority of the time she thrived on the drama, the high of the con, the chase and all the excitement that came with it. That's why they all worked, they could all afford to retire but the con and everything in entailed was addictive and it ran in your blood, it was the special ingredient that got you out of bed every morning. Sophie sighed quietly to herself, once a grifter always a grifter.

"I'm not going back to the bar", Eliot said softly.

Sophie kept her eyes on the swimming ducks "I know that, I did not come here for that".

Eliot felt like every ounce of fight had gone out of him "Then why are you here?".

Sophie liked her arm with Eliot's but still kept her eyes focused on the pond "Because I did not want you to be alone right now".

Eliot nodded as if he understood and he relaxed under Sophie's grip, "I have a kid", it came out as a whisper.

"Yes you do, are you angry? happy? terrified?", Sophie deliberately kept her tone light.

Sophie felt Eliot shrug, she said nothing more, she knew that Eliot in his own time would have to get this off his chest.

"I have a son, I'm a father and she never told me", Eliot had a catch in his voice.

Sophie turned and looked into his beautiful ocean blue eyes and wondered briefly if his son had the same eyes. "Eliot, she loves you, that has to be the most important thing", Sophie knew she could not explain Kat's motives, she was not sure that Kat could explain them herself, her instinct had been to survive and she had. Sophie understood that instinct better than anyone else on the team.

Eliot's jaw twitched. Sophie did not break eye contact, if he wanted to get angry with her than that was okay but Eliot still needed to face the facts.

Eliot looked away from Sophie, he did not want her to see his pain "She loves me so much that she does not tell me that she is the daughter of the man we planned to over throw, I find out after I watch his militia drag her body away. That's how I find out that she is his daughter".

"Does that really matter? She was not the one who betrayed you, someone else in the coup betrayed you".

Eliot moved away from Sophie. He did not want to hear this, he wanted to be as far away from the whole thing as possible. He wondered briefly if the army would take him back. At this moment in time he would quite happily go back to Iraq, or even Afghanistan.

"Six years, six years she let me think she was dead. Then she turns up and I find out I have a son. Tell me Sophie, can I actually believe her that he is my son?", the venom soaked his voice.

"Eliot, she had no way to contact you, what could she do. She ended up poisining her jailer slash body guard to escape and the first place she ran to was to you, what does that tell you", Sophie said, her brown eyes blazing. Eliot could be so stubborn sometimes, she felt like slapping him.

Eliot hated fighting with Sophie, he cared about her and counted her as a very close friend but he needed to be alone right now, "Sophie, I need to be by myself for a while", he stood up slowly, he gave her a small smile.

Sophie capitulated, Eliot could use his looks when it suited him, his little boy lost look could melt even the most cantankerous woman's heart.

Sophie smiled at him, "That's okay, go on and get your head together".

Eliot stood looking at her "Are you not going back to the bar?".

Sophie shook her head "No, I think I will stay here for a while, they can do without me for the moment and I will enjoy the peace and watch the ducks for a while".

Eliot hesitated, he felt bad for his outburst and he did not want to leave on bad terms "Hey Soph, I'm sorry", it was a heartfelt apology his blue eyes twinkled at her.

Sophie smiled, "I know", she gestured towards the exit "Go on, you are ruining my peaceful afternoon". she winked at him and turned back to the pond.

Eliot pulled the hood of his jacket on to his head and then made his way towards the exit.


	9. Chapter 9

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Nine**

Later that evening, everyone was back in Nate's.

Eliot sat by the breakfast bar, he did not want to sit anywhere near Kat. He could not even bring himself look in her direction. Everyone noticed that she kept glancing anxiously at him.

Kat could feel the way they looked at her. She tried not to let it get to her but she felt completely alone. Funny, she had always felt alone but now was the first time that it had ever bothered her.

Nate had centre stage and ignored the icy tension, "We are going to ask for a ransom", he waited for their reaction.

The look on their faces said it all, complete disbelief. Sophie was the first to speak "That is beyond dangerous for all of us, not just Kat. What if Balteras gets homeland security involved or the CIA".

Nate was not going to be put off, "There is no other way, Kat needs to get back into the grounds to get her son, if her father believes she was kidnapped rather than escaped, then there is a small chance he will not kill her".

Hardison nodded he could see the logic in it "Okay but that's a pretty big if, this guy is a maniac", Hardison stopped he could have bitten off his tongue, he turned to Kat "Sorry Kat, I keep forgetting he is your father".

Kat shrugged her shoulders she knew better than anyone what her father was capable of, she knew this would be her only chance to get her son, she knew her way around the grounds, she had a strong idea where they were keeping him. "I am willing to take that chance, if it means getting my son back".

Parker threw her eyes up to heaven, _Why was everyone being so nice to this woman _"Why do you keep referring to your son as your son, does he not have a name?", she could not understand the woman sitting in front of her and Parker wanted to show her support for Eliot.

Kat could feel the tears prick her eyes, but she held strong in front of them, she was not going to cry, she had promised herself "Because I don't know what his name is ".

The silence descended on the group as they took in the enormity of what Kat had just said.

Eliot felt a black hatred boil up inside of him, he jumped off his stool and went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, anything to take his focus off the situation.

Sophie was the only one brave enough to ask the question "Kat, when was the last time you saw your son".

It was too much, the overwhelming feeling of pain crashed down on Kat and she began to sob, all her promises to herself gone out the window "They took him away straight after he was born, they did not even let me hold him", her wracking sobs filled the room.

The team looked at each other in consternation. Eliot was caught off guard, his hand was frozen holding the beer, slowly put his beer down on the counter and made his way to her, his resentment towards Kat evaporated.

Kat felt strong arms around her, without looking she knew they were Eliot's, "We will get him back for you, and me", he whispered hoarsely.

The rest of the team quietly left the apartment and went downstairs to the bar.

Eliot felt Kat's thin arms shake with the exertion of her tears. He hated himself for the way he had behaved. Kat had suffered just as he had. They had a child out there, being raised by a lunatic, a child who had grown without knowing either of his parents.

Kat held on to Eliot for dear life, she lost herself in his familiar scent, soap and that apple shampoo he still used even after all this time, the feel of his skin against hers, she never wanted to be away from him ever again.

"Eliot, I came to you as soon as I could. I was under twenty four hour guard, as soon as I saw my chance I ran to you", her voice sounded muffled like it belonged to someone else, but she had to make him understand.

Eliot's arms tightened around her, his heart pounding in his ears. It had not stopped pounding since she had arrived back in his life he reflected as her tears soaked his t-shirt.

He gently stroked her hair, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", he did not know what else to say, he would give anything to turn back the clock. They should have walked away from the coup and come home and raised a family. Eliot felt the loss heavy in his heart.

Kat pulled away from him, her face was tear stained and her hair was matted to her face. She quickly pulled the hair from her face, she hated Eliot seeing her like this. She tried to smile at Eliot, reassure him that everything was okay but her eyes were stilling brimming with tears, "I never stopped thinking about you. Seeing you was the only thing that kept me going", she did not care whether he wanted to hear it or not.

Eliot tried to find the words to explain, "Your father told the whole world you were dead, I grieved for you, I have never felt any loss like it".

Kat gripped his hands, "Eliot, no matter what happens, I will love you forever".

Eliot pulled her to him and kissed her gently on the mouth. This was where he wanted to be, it still had not changed. When he was with her, he was home.


	10. Chapter 10

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Ten**

In the back room of McRory's Bar, the rest of the team sat around the small round table. Hardison was busy hacking into Costa Fuerez's telecommunications exchange, he needed to be able to track all communications coming to and from Balteras's presidential palace.

"Got it", he shouted, giddy with excitement, the others looked at him amused "Hey not one of you can do what I can do", he said haughtily.

"So can you link into their camera feed yet?", Nate asked impatiently.

"Nate I'm a brilliant, I'm not omnipotent, you need to chill", Hardison snapped back typing furiously, "Yes, yes I am the man! We have just linked into the security server, who's the man", he looks around at the rest of the team, then shakes his head in disgust when none of them respond.

Nate smiles at him and gives Hardison his small moment of glory, "Is it possible to get an audio feed".

Hardison turns his laptop around so the rest of the team could see, there were eight different camera feeds to choose from, Nate pointed to the camera feed which seemed to be in the kitchen where there was an older woman and a young boy.

Hardison clicked on the feed, everybody held their breath as they watched the interaction between the pair, they were speaking Spanish and only Parker could follow with any ease.

Park relayed the conversation to the others, never taking her eyes off the screen "they are talking about eggs, what eggs he would like for his breakfast, he is calling her grandmother and she is calling him little one", the others groaned, they had hoped for more than that.

Parker was cross, she wanted to find out what Eliot's son's name was, so Eliot would not be so sad "sshhh, he is telling her about his pony".

They sat there watching the camera feed for the next hour, hoping to find something they could give to Eliot and Kat. When the others gave up and went into the bar, Parker refused to move, she wanted to stay with the little boy and his grandmother. _Call him by his name,_ she silently pleaded with the laptop.

As if the heavens had been listening, a new separate voice called "Marcos", and the little boy reacted immediately.

The excitement was too much, Parker jumped out of her seat and ran to the others in the bar, she was jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face.

"I know his name, I know his name", she squealed practically dancing.

Nate poured her a drink and handed it to her "Drink this and calm down first".

Parker took the drink and downed it in one shot while bouncing up and down, "It's Marcos, Eliot's son is called Marcos".

Sophie's face softened "That's a lovely name, should we got up and tell them", Sophie looked at Nate

He shook his head, "No leave them be for the moment, we can tell them later".

Parker hugged Hardison and kissed him on the cheek, "Can I have another drink Nate".


	11. Chapter 11

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Eleven**

Nate made the call, normally Eliot would handle hostage negotiations but Nate felt that he would have the objectivity to handle it better. Eliot was too emotionally involved, it did not matter that he had never met Marcos. Eliot had a son and that changed everything. Nate knew that from bitter experience.

He left Eliot and Kat in the apartment watching the live feeds from the presidential mansion up on the laptop in his apartment, they spent most of the time watching Marcos as he played alone in the grounds. When he was not alone he spent the rest of his time alone with this grandmother.

Nate went to the back room in John McRory's to make the call. This way Elito would not be hovering and trying to interfere.

Hardison had secured the phone line and was on standby with Parker and Sophie, they watched anxiously as Nate paced up and down the room with the phone in his hand, the line was ringing. He was getting more tense as time went on, _Damn it why were they not answering_. Just as he was about to hang up the phone was picked up.

"Hola", it was a man's voice, Nate assumed it was Balteras's under secretary.

"This is Jimmy Papadokalis, I am an attorney", Nate snapped into his best Nevada accent.

"Qué?", the voice asked.

"We have the President Balteras's daughter", Nate said menacingly, he was playing the averages, he would adapt the con to their reactions.

The others watched Nate, they were all on tender hooks, hoping Nate did not over play the con.

Nate could hear chatter on the other line, they were speaking too quickly for Nate to catch any words he might recognise.

A different voice came on the line "What daughter?", the voice was angry and did not try to disguise it.

Nate smiled, he knew he had them hooked "Balteras's daughter, the one that was supposed to be dead".

"Why should we believe you?", barked the voice.

Nate pretended to cough, it was better to keep them on a leash, not give everything away "We drugged your bodyguard, we laced his coffee with a sedative, we put it in the coffee to disguise it's bitter aftertaste. Hey, how were we to know he was allergic?". Nate winked at Sophie, she smiled back and under the table she crossed her fingers.

This phone call was their way in, Marcos never left the grounds they had to get in if they ever had a chance to snatch him. There was more voices speaking and shouting in Spanish while Nate could not make out what they were saying he could hazard a guess that they were trying to trace the call and were coming up with nothing.

"What do you want?", the voice asked .

"We want ten million dollars", Nate sneered down the phone.

The voice chuckled but it's tone remained cold "She is not worth that much money, kill her".

Nate felt the hand of fear touch his heart but his face remained impassive there was no point worrying the rest of the team.

"Is that right what about Balteras's reputation? He announced six years ago that a band of terrorists murdered his daughter, what if the rest of the world found out that for six years she was held prisoner in the presidential palace where heads of state regularly visited to discuss foreign policy and human rights issues with the President", Nate played his trump card, if he had read Balteras correctly his reputation among his peers was paramount to him.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, obviously they were thinking it over and then it hit him, he had played the con all wrong, maybe they did not need to get Kat into the house to get Marcos back. "I tell you what give me the kid and the grandmother and we all walk away from this".

"Why should we do this? We have the secret police tracing this call", the voice said.

Nate laughed, once they threaten, he knew he had them "Because once Katharina has her child and her mother she will disappear and you will never hear from her again. If you don't we will go on CNN, ABC, Sky, Aljezeera, BBC Worldwide within the next couple of hours. Think it over and I will call you back in ten minutes", Nate hung up the phone abruptly.

That should give them something to think about. _God I want a drink, _he thought to himself but he held it together. _How did Eliot do this for so long,_ Nate wondered again and saw Eliot rise in his esteem yet again. Nate now knew without a doubt that if anything happened to him, Eliot was the one who would end up leading the team.

Sophie poured a glass of whiskey and set it out on the table "That's for you, you deserved it",.

Nate walked over to the table and grabbed the glass, he threw the drink straight back.


	12. Chapter 12

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Twelve**

A pick up point was agreed, Eliot and Nate went alone. They felt it was far too dangerous to bring the others. Nate had struggled with the decision to bring Eliot but in the end he knew it was the right decision. Eliot was the best at what he did, if they could get Marcos and Isabella out of the situation without being harmed, Eliot was the onlyl man for the job.

The drop was set up for a courthouse just outside Dallas. Eliot did not want the drop to be in an over populated place but he did not want to meet in an over exposed place either. The district court had metal detectors and security guards. There was less chance of Balteras' men drawing attention to themselves there.

They arrived in a black Sedan, Eliot and Nate watched them upstairs in the Judge's chambers. Nate had blagged his way into the court house as a Visiting Judge to hear an appeal.

They watched as Isabella and Marcos were escorted by two burly bodyguards away from the car and into the court house.

Eliot and Nate left the chambers and went down the stairs to Court No. 1. They were as safe as they could be, no guns or explosives would be able to get through the metal detectors. Eliot stood behind Nate, it was important that the marks saw Nate was the leader, there was no point drawing attention to themselves. There should always be one poin tof contact. As they drew closer, Eliot felt if he looked directly at Marcos that he might fall to pieces and then everything would be lost.

Eliot scanned thetwo heavies, the men were dressed in black suits, they looked like ex military. Isabella looked frightened, she clutched Marcos' hand, her beloved grandchild. She looked at the man in front of her, he was dressed as a judge but she knew he could not be one, judges did not partake in kidnapping at least not judges in America, she conceded.

There was something about the man behind the pretend judge, his long hair was tied back and he wore a red check shirt and jeans, his expression was stern but there was something familiar about him, she had the feeling that if he smiled his whole face would light up and he would be very handsome like.. and then it hit her at first she could not figure out what it was andhis eyes, the beautiful azure colour was the same colour as her grandson's eyes.

Nate spoke "Isabella, you and Marcos will be coming with us".

The two men moved forward and Eliot came out in front of Nate, they knew by his face he was ready to intercept if necessary.

Eliot kept his eyes on the two hench men, conscious that his son was only two metres away from him. Eliot slightly bent his stance, ready to flying into action if necessary.

Nate continued talking "Guys it's better if you walk away now"..

The taller one was not convinced "We need assurances", he grunted.

Eliot watched them like they were rabbits caught in head lights.

Nate placed his hand on Eliot's shoulder and smiled at the two men "Nothing will ever be disclosed unless something happens to Katharina, Isabella or Marcos".

"We need more than that".

Nate produced a cell phone from his pocket and showed it to them "This has the speed dial numbers of Bruce McIntyre, he is a Journalist with the Boston Globe".

The two hence men instinctively took a step back.

"Yeah that's right, keep going", Eliot growled.

The hench men turned their backs on them and left the court house. Eliot kept staring after them until he was sure they were gone. He did not move a muscle. He felt something thug at the end of his shirt, he looked down and saw his eyes staring up at him.

"Papa?", Marcos looked up in wonder at Eliot, he knew in his heart that this man was his father.

Eliot smiled down at Marcos and bent down and swooped him up in his arms "That's right son, I'm your daddy", he said as Marcos threw his arms around his neck.


	13. Chapter 13

Leverage Characters, Nate's Apartment and John McRory's are owned by Dean Devlin, Electric Entertainment and TNT. Everything else (including the new characters) are owned by me.

**Chapter Thirteen**

Two weeks later Eliot and the team stood at the docks. Nate had arranged for Katharina, Isabella and Marcos to live in Ireland with his father.

Hardison had already given them new passports and support documentation. He had changed their surnames andhad used Nate's mother's maiden name, Logue. Jimmy would meet them off the ship, he would take care of the family as pay back for his double crossing Nate on the Three Card Monty Job.

The team watched as Eliot said goodbye to his family.

"I will see you soon, son", Eliot said as he kissed Marcos' forehead and gave him one last hug. Eliot was pulling off a good job at being strong but it was killing him inside.

"Marcos come with me", Isabella interrupted holding her hand out towards Marcos, he kissed Eliot on the cheek and ran to his grandma.

Kat had tears in her eyes now that they were leaving, she did not want to leave Eliot. The last two weeks had felt like they were a real family and she did not want to give that up. "Come with us", she did not care if she was begging, she wanted Eliot with her.

"I can't, not yet", Eliot felt his heart break all over again.

Kat nodded, she understood but she was far from happy "I love you", it was simple and to the point.

Eliot pulled her towards him and kissed her "I love you too, I will be over to visit you all in a couple of weeks".

Kat kissed him back and then pulled away from him. She smiled at him, it was better to just leave, start a new life and hope that Eliot would follow them. She joined Marcos and her mother. Eliot watched them get on the boat, he stood there waving for a long time, tears smarting at the back of his eyes, but he kept the smile on his face, more than anything he wanted to go after them, his family.

Finally the rest of the team joined him, he choked back the tears. He felt Sophie and Parker hug him, he looked down at the ground and tried to compose himself, "Nate, I hope your father will do a good job", he said in a low voice.

Nate smiled, he knew where Eliot was coming from "My father owes me and he will protect them with everything he has. He is lonely over there, needs something to keep him occupied", Nate kept his tone light, his farther was more than happy to take Eliot's family in.

Hardison felt like a tool just standing there and went and hugged Eliot. Eliot gave no resistance, for once he did not fight off Harrison's brotherly affection, he needed to feel part of something right at that very moment.


End file.
